Suresh Garimella appointed president of University of Vermont

Burlington  Vermont. February 2019. Suresh Garimella will take over as president of the University of Vermont starting July 2019. He is currently executive vice president at Purdue University, Indiana. A graduate of IIT Madras, he is co-author of over 500 publications and 13 patents.

At Purdue Garimella leads a world-changing, $660 million per year research enterprise and oversees Discovery Park, a unique set of facilities and institutes, where disciplines converge to solve global challenges related to health and life sciences, sustainability, food, energy and defense and security. He is responsible for Purdue's international programs and its global and corporate partnership endeavors, focused on strengthening relationships to advance innovation, research, and education.

Garimella is currently Executive Vice President for Research and Partnerships and the Goodson Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University. His previous administrative experience at Purdue includes appointments as the Chief Global Affairs Officer and as the Associate Vice President for Engagement. In 2010, the U.S. Department of State appointed him as a Jefferson Science Fellow to serve as a Science Advisor in the International Energy Office. He also served for six years as a Senior Fellow in the State Department’s Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas, and as the State Department delegate to the International Energy Agency. Dr. Garimella has a long list of honors and awards, including his 2018 appointment as a member of the National Science Board. He is co-author of over 500 publications and 13 patents. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley, his M.S. from The Ohio State University and his bachelor’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras.

A message from David Daigle, chair University of Vermont Board of Trustees:

It is my great pleasure to share the news that Dr. Suresh Garimella will become UVM’s 27th president, effective July 1, 2019.

Following a comprehensive, nationwide search that attracted 90 applicants, Dr. Garimella clearly emerged as the most capable candidate for this position. We are confident that we have selected an exceptional individual who will inspire our University to reach even greater levels of excellence.

It is clear that Dr. Garimella possesses the intellect, vision, leadership skills and academic credentials to be a highly successful president at UVM. He is a passionate educator, a highly accomplished researcher, an effective relationship builder and a gifted administrative leader. He has a well demonstrated ability to attract external investment and support, and he has a deep and abiding passion for the land-grant mission. Importantly, Dr. Garimella is sharply focused on the quality of the student educational experience as well as student success during and after college...

Once again, I want to thank the hundreds of individuals who participated in the presidential search process for their time and thoughtful input. To the members of the largest, most inclusive, most diverse search committee ever assembled; to the hundreds of you who helped shape the leadership profile that guided our search; to the faculty panel and the dozens of academic and administrative leaders who interviewed and vetted  candidates during the confidential stage of the search; to the dozens who participated in candidate interviews during Dr. Garimella’s public campus visit; and to the hundreds who attended the open forum and provided feedback, we are sincerely grateful for your engagement in this important process.

Suresh Garimella's biography:

Suresh Garimella is Purdue University's inaugural executive vice president for research and partnerships and the Goodson Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering. He was appointed by President Donald Trump to serve on the National Science Board – an independent body of advisers to both the president and Congress on policy matters related to science, engineering and educating the next generation of scientists.

Garimella is in charge of Purdue's diverse research enterprise, which expends more than $660 million annually to support world-changing research. He oversees Discovery Park, a unique set of facilities and institutes, where disciplines converge to solve global challenges related to health and life sciences, sustainability, food, energy, and defense and security. He is responsible for Purdue's international programs and its global and corporate partnerships endeavors, focused on strengthening relationships to advance innovation, research, education and commercialization. He previously served as Purdue's chief global affairs officer (2013-2014) and associate vice president for engagement (2011-2013).

Under his leadership, the University has experienced consecutive record years in research funding and established significant new partnerships around the world. Garimella conceived and implemented an ambitious Life Sciences Initiative, establishing two new institutes that bring together faculty from dozens of disciplines to study integrative neuroscience and inflammation, immunology and infectious disease, to complement signature efforts in the plant sciences and drug discovery. In addition, he and Purdue's Provost partnered to initiate the Integrative Data Science Initiative which is focused on applying data science research to pressing fundamental and socially relevant issues while establishing an educational ecosystem of data fluency to prepare students for the rapidly expanding future of a data-driven, knowledge economy.

The co-author of over 525 widely cited archival publications and 13 patents, Garimella is an expert in micro- and nano-scale transport phenomena, thermal management and energy efficiency in electronics systems, and renewable and sustainable energy systems technology and policy. He continues to direct the Cooling Technologies Research Center, a graduated National Science Foundation I/UCRC which he founded in 1999. He has supervised over 90 graduate students, 25 of whom are now faculty members in prestigious universities.

Garimella served as a Jefferson Science Fellow at the U.S. Department of State from 2010 to 2011, analyzing crosscutting issues at the intersection of energy security and climate change. He was a State Department delegate to the International Energy Agency (IEA). From 2011 to 2016, Garimella was a senior fellow of the State Department's Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA), a regional partnership announced by President Obama to promote clean energy, advance energy security, fight energy poverty, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, support strategies for sustainable landscapes and build capacity for climate change adaptation.

Garimella serves in editorial roles with leading energy-related journals. He is a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). He has held honorary faculty positions at the Technical University of Darmstadt, Xi'an JiaoTong University, and the University of New South Wales. Garimella is a member of the board of directors of Modine Manufacturing Company.

Garimella received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley, an M.S. from The Ohio State University, and a bachelor's degree from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras. His efforts in research and engineering education have garnered him numerous awards, including the 2016 ITHERM Achievement Award, 2014 ASME Charles Russ Richards Memorial Award, 2011 NSF Alexander Schwarzkopf Prize for Technological Innovation, 2010 ASME Heat Transfer Memorial Award, 2010 Distinguished Alumnus Award from IIT Madras, 2009 ASME Allan Kraus Thermal Management Award, and the 2004 ASME Gustus L. Larson Memorial Award. Within the University, he has been recognized with the 2012 Provost's Award for Outstanding Graduate Mentor, 1995 Graduate School/UWM Foundation Research Award for Outstanding Research and Creative Activity, and the 1997 UWM Distinguished Teaching Award.

Photo credit: University of Vermont

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